A Foe from Within
by Keseg-Neuhaus
Summary: With smart kids and the world at their fingertips, Carlisle Cullen and his family have always gotten what they wanted. However, when faced with a threat from within the extended family, will the Cullen's be able to save the day or will they be torn apart?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Carlisle Cullen

I was a nervous wreck! _Get it together!_ I was screaming at myself! I just couldn't control myself. The only thing on my mind was my amazing wife, who was upstairs in labor while I was stuck down here in hell! Being a resident in one of the busiest trauma centers in the country had its perks, but obviously it also had drawbacks. I just wanted to get this last patient stabilized so I could join my Esme for the birth of our child, a boy! I worked quickly and as soon as I was done, I ran from the room without looking back. If something happened they could page me. It wasn't like I was leaving the hospital compound!

"How is she?" I asked Mrs. Cope, my favorite nurse here, but that is probably entirely due to her ability to actually talk or work with me without hitting on me or drooling… yes drooling!!!

"Last time I checked your wife was doing very well! I suspect it will still be a couple of hours still. Now take a deep breath and calm down before you walk in there," she laughed, but right as usual! I smiled, composed myself and opened the door!

Esme was curled up on her side facing away from me. I slowly made my way over to her. It helped to ease my panic seeing her sleeping peacefully. I kissed her cheek and thought about the day she told me she was pregnant.

I was just walking in the door from a particularly grueling shift. There had been a bus accident and I had been sent to the scene for triage. There had been a woman. Her legs were trapped between two seats and the ground and the little girl in her arms was dead. I didn't even have to check because I could visibly see the brain matter coming from the hole in the toddlers head. I tried relentlessly to convince her that the baby was gone and that I needed to take the child away, yet the woman refused to relinquish her hold on the lifeless form. I had watched as the woman died. I realized then that I would have acted the same. I had always wanted to be a father. The thought of a little boy who I could play baseball with or a little girl who would run to me because there were monsters in her closet delighted me to no end. When I had opened the door the lights were out and at first I thought that Esme wasn't home, but her car had been in the garage. We had just moved in. We were young and she brought me out of my depression. I had run from my home in Italy as soon as I would be able to make something of myself in America. My father was an evil, controlling man and getting me out was the last thing my mother ever did. I found her sitting at the kitchen table, a small photo in her hand. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and kissed her head. I looked down at the photo and it dawned on me what I was staring at, a baby, my baby!

"Carlisle?" My angel whispered from the hospital bed.

"Yes, my love?" I smiled at her, but she looked scared, almost.

"What if something goes wrong? He's early. It's entirely my fault. I should have…" I silenced her with a finger.

"You did nothing wrong, mi amo. Everything will be fine. I promise." A few more hours dragged by and I praised God when the doctor said it was time to push. I whispered words of comfort to Esme as she brought our child into the world. I felt the tears fall down my cheeks when I heard a cry. It was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, and then he was handed to me. My son, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. What happened next shocked everyone. My sweet Esme cried out in pain. Her doctor gave me a panicked look and turned back to my wife. The nurse took my son from me and I returned to her side. I few agonizing moments later the doctor looked up and said, "The second one is in distress. We need to go to the OR, now!" I stared in utter shock and Esme also forgot her pain momentarily to ask the doctor if he was insane. He showed me the heart monitor. A second baby!

The nurse came back and whisked the love of my life off to the OR. I sat in the waiting room for what felt like days before the doctor came in with any news.

"Your wife has finally stabilized. It was touch and go there for a while Carlisle, but we got her back. There was a lot of bleeding and we were almost forced to do a hysterectomy, but managed to save the uterus just in time. On a happier note, though, your little girl is doing fine. She is small, but she is as tough and as stubborn as your wife." He finished with a slight laugh in his voice. I thanked him profusely. I had a daughter.

I slipped into Esme's room to find her asleep with two sleeping bundles in plastic basinets beside her. I smiled at my family. My baby girl started to squirm and whimper. I moved swiftly to her side and gathered her in my arms. Her small frame curled into my chest and her cries quieted. I vowed then that I would always protect my baby girl.


	2. Chapter 2 Edward

I was finally living on my own. I had finally decided to move out of the apartment I shared with my brother Emmett. I was in my last year Law school at Columbia and I needed to focus. It was hard to focus with Emmett anywhere near, and when you added his girlfriend, Rosalie, into the mix things just got worse. I knew Emmett would be moving to Baltimore soon but not soon enough. It was time to get out and get my own place. My phone started to ring in my pocket.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Eddie!," my sister, the only one allowed to call me that, I should have known. Emmett tried to call me Eddie once, not only did he get a beating from me, but he incurred the wrath of my twin and trust me she is downright scary when she is pissed off. She gets really quiet and shoots lasers from her eyes and breaths fire. I am lucky that I am always on her good side; it pays to be a twin. "How's the new place?"

"Amazing actually, but too quiet!"

"I know what you mean! I loved living on my own." She was living in the Baltimore house for school when Dad accepted the position as Chief of the ER at Hopkins. Naturally mom and dad moved into the Baltimore house with Ali. That was seven years ago. "So, hey, I am going to be in town this weekend and I was wondering if you had some free time to catch up with your favorite twin sister?"

"Of course I have time for my sister just call when you get in!" I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing my twin! It had been far too long since the last time we had seen each other.

"Okay! I have to go…rounds! I will see you this weekend Eddie." My sister was a Resident in the ER at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. She was brilliant. She finished medical school when most people our age were finishing their undergraduate work. I was only a year and a half behind her in finishing grad school. I guess it pays to have a brilliant father who homeschooled us around his shifts at the hospital.

"Yeah, me too! Jasper and Emmett are forcing me into a blind date tonight." Was that a snort? She totally snorted at my situation.

"That's probably good thing! You do need to get laid! Just make sure it's not a hooker like last time."

"Hey I resent that, and the hooker thing wasn't my fault. Emmett is just stupid."

"Touche. Okay, love you! Don't do anything Emmett wouldn't do…"

"Is there anything he wouldn't do?" I don't think there was.

"Ummm… he wouldn't prance around in a tutu and no tights!" I laughed.

"No he wouldn't do that…"

"You're right he would put on the tights!" We were both in hysterics and I could hear dad on the other end of the phone asking Ali if she needed to be committed.

"Love you Ali" I laughed. We finished saying our goodbyes, and I glanced at my watch. I had agreed to meet Jasper and Emmett for dinner. They were setting me up on a blind date with a friend with one of their girlfriends. I got dressed, jumped into my Volvo, and headed to the restaurant. I saw the guys in the corner already joined by Alice and Rosalie and my 'date'…Bella? She was in the literature program at school. We worked in the library together. I have to admit, I have been trying to muster enough courage to ask her out for almost three months. Composure Edward…

"Hey everyone" I smiled walking up to the table.

"Hey Edward" Alice jumped from her chair and hugged me. She was Jasper's girlfriend and my little sister. "Edward this is B…"

"Bella" I interrupted, kissing the back of her hand.

"Hi Edward" she blushed. She was beautiful.

I hardly remember dinner that night. I was mesmerized by the goddess in front of me. We silently gazed at one another all night. I didn't want the night to end.

Bella was amazing. I couldn't be away from her. After only a few weeks I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her by my side. I called my dad and asked him about when he knew he loved mom.

"Hey Dad! I wanted to ask you something…"

"Sure Edward! What can I help you with?"

"When did you know you wanted to spend the rest of your life with mom?"

"The moment I laid eyes on her I knew she was the one! I proposed weeks later and she said yes. Why?" I dreaded that question. He would figure it out anyway.

"Well I met this girl and I can't describe it. It hurts to be away from her and when we are together I feel whole. I love her dad! I want to marry her, but I don't want to scare her."

"Talk to her about your feelings and gage your decision from there. If you propose, you'll know when the right time comes."

"Thanks dad."

"Anytime, goodbye Edward."  
"Bye dad!"

The conversation with my dad had done wonders on my nerves. I talked to Bella and decided that I did in fact want to marry the amazing woman who I shared a bed with every night **(NOT THAT WAY YOU PERVERTS!)**. There was one thing I needed help with, finding the perfect ring. I knew Alice and Rosalie would be willing to help, but I didn't think I could handle shopping with them. So I called my twin. The call consisted of a lot of screaming and laughing. She flew up days later to spend twenty minutes in Tiffany's with me before we found the perfect ring. She had planned to stay a day and meet Bella, but she was called back to her swamped ER at the Chief's orders—the downfall to working for your father.


	3. baseball and embarassing moments

**Almost a year later**

"Bella, love, we are going to be late"

"I am meeting your family…I am nervous! Gimmie a minute" she called from the bathroom.

"They will love you, Bella, plus you already know half of them, stop worrying so much! We are only playing baseball…"

"That's why I am worried…in case you forgot, I am not the most coordinated person out there"

"Both my dad and sister are doctors…You will be fine! Plus, the three of them flew in just to meet you!"

"What if they don't approve of me?"

"That is absurd, Bella! They will love you!" We climbed into the car. She stayed silent as I navigated New York traffic. We were meeting at Central Park.

My parents and my sister had insisted that they needed to meet the girl I had decided to spend the rest of my life with. When I made that decision, I had called my dad for advice, and then I called my sister. Ali always had a way of calming my nerves and she flew into town to help me find the perfect ring. I picked up Bella's hand and kissed her palm and then her ring.

"They will adore you, and you them. Now let's play ball!" We got out of the car and walked hand in hand to the ball diamonds. I could see my mom and dad warming up on one of the fields, but I couldn't see my sister.

Bella

Edward pointed out two people on the other side of the field as his parents. They looked young, but they were still far away. As we got closer, I could see that they were very young. I would have to ask.

"Mom, Dad" Edward called.

"Hey sweetie! How are you?" His mother was gorgeous. I could see where Edward got his copper hair and green eyes. Edward was a god, my personal Adonis, but his father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen was just as beautiful. He was tall and muscular with disheveled blond hair and piercing blue eyes… it was like staring into oceans.

"I am well! Mom, Dad this is Bella, my fiancée" They both smiled at me.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both Dr. and Mrs. Cullen"

"Mrs. Cullen makes me feel old, please Bella, call me Esme and this is Carlisle. We are so happy to be finally meeting you! I am so glad that my Edward has found someone like you." I could feel my cheeks start to burn. I was glad that Edward came to my rescue.

"Where is Ali?"

"Alessandra and Nicholas went to go get some sodas and stuff! They should be back any minute."

We stood there talking to his parents. They were amazing. I wished my parents were more like them. I answered their questions and was glad that I felt so comfortable around them. Carlisle and Esme stopped talking and looked over my shoulder. I slowly turned to look at what they were staring at. Coming toward us was a beautiful woman. As she got closer, I could see that she was tall, with long blond hair that had a natural coppery tint to it. Her hair cascaded in large, natural curls down her back. What was most striking, though, were her eyes. Her eyes were a light bluish-grey, but they had dark blue rings around the edge of the irises. Then scattered in the light blue depths were flecks of emerald and topaz. I had just realized that I was staring.

"Hey Eddie!" She said as she grabbed Edward into a hug. He picked her up and swung her around.

"Hey Ali" he set her down. "Ali, this is Bella" Much to my surprise, she pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek.

"It is so good to finally meet you! I was beginning to worry that you didn't exist. You are beautiful, Edward did a good job" I blushed again. She whispered something in rapid, was it Italian, to Edward; he smiled and kissed her cheek. "Nick is getting the cooler so why don't we break into teams and get ready?"

"Sounds great" Carlisle said. "Why don't I play with Ali and Esme, then you two and Nick could be a team."

"Sounds like a good plan, Dad" Ali grabbed my arm and pulled me to the bags away from everyone else. She must have sensed my hesitation about playing.

"Have you played before?"

"Not really…I am not the most coordinated person out there." I smiled sheepishly. Maybe she would give me an out! Or not…

"Don't worry! Nick and Edward are pretty good, but I am sure they could use you! My dad and I are undefeated! You see, my mom never really plays. She is just the umpire, so Dad and I end up playing by ourselves." She handed me a glove and we turned to rejoin the group.

"Hey Ali? May I ask a few personal questions?" I was embarrassed, but curiosity won the battle.

"Sure, go ahead…" She stopped and faced me.

"I couldn't help but notice how young your parents are…um…"

"Don't be shy Bella," she laughed, "our parents are very young. My dad was still in his residency when we were born and my father finished school and his residency a few years early and my mother is two years younger." I stared blankly at her. I didn't know the average age for a resident. After all, I studied literature and Edward was a lawyer in a prestigious firm here in New York. "Let me put it this way, when Edward and I were born neither of my parents could legally drink!" She said with a smirk on her face.

"Really!" I said in utter shock. Edward never said anything. She just nodded.

"You said a few questions, Bella…" she stated with a mischievous grin.

"Well I know that you are Alice's sister, but I was wondering…" I trailed off not knowing how to phrase the question.

"You want to know about our nicknames, right?" I just nodded as my face turned scarlet, but to my surprise she started to laugh.

"It is nothing to be embarrassed about Bella! A lot of people ask that question. Well, my name is Alessandra and when Edward and I first started to talk he picked up on the Ali sound. However, my mom always insisted in using our first and middle name when she wanted our attention, but Edward couldn't do Alessandra Elizabeth so Ali just stuck. My dad started calling me Ali, much to my mother's chagrin, just before they adopted Mary Alice, or Mace to most of the family, and the Teddy Bear." She smiled at me and we rejoined the group to play, what I am sure would turn out to be a rather eventful game of baseball. I was glad she was so easy to talk to. I knew we would be amazing friends.

Alice, Jasper, and little Camille joined us for the game. Jasper and Alice both joined our team. I contested saying it wasn't fair to Carlisle and Ali, but everyone just laughed. Jasper finally said, "Bella trust me, they don't need any help!" Camille, my goddaughter and soon to be niece was standing with her grandmother because she wanted to feel like she was helping, but her little body wouldn't be able to play a full game. Her smile was infectious.

The Cullens were graceful to say the least! After about the third inning I had fallen enough that 'the doctors' made me umpire and Esme took my spot (it still didn't help Nick, Jasper, Alice and Edward much, though, Ali and Carlisle were like the same person but stuck in two bodies)! During the fifth inning Ali and Carlisle started helping Camille hit and run the bases. They would let her swing and then pick her up and run the bases. Jasper had been right, they didn't need any help, but even though we lost, the game was amazing. I never remembered having that much fun!

We sat on the field after the game laughing and each telling a little about himself.

"I married Carlisle young and these two," she said gesturing to Ali and Edward, "came a year or so later. I homeschooled all my kids in the humanities, I guess you would call it. Now that they are all out of the house, well except for the fact that we live with Alessandra, I design houses and do interior design. My real passion is gardening, though, and keeping my doctors healthy!"

"I was adopted, but you already knew that, fell in love at sixteen and got pregnant. I still followed my dreams, got my degree and love being a personal shopper to the rich of New York. My greatest joy is that I still have Camille even after everything we've been through. She is my little miracle." I glanced over to my goddaughter. She was asleep on her grandfather's lap. The sight was truly amazing. I couldn't wait to see my children, a boy and a girl who looked just like their father perhaps, in the same position. For being so young, Carlisle embraced the role a grandfather and doted on Camille.

"Rosalie and I moved from Texas at fifteen. Alice sauntered up to me and said, 'You've kept me waiting a long time,' I apologized and knew I found my happy ending. Camille was like the icing on the cake. She is my angel." I had known Jasper for a long time because we had taken some college classes together. I knew his baby girl was everything, just like I am sure that Ali was the center of Carlisle's Universe.

"You already know everything about me," Edward whispered into my ear making me shiver in his lap.

"I am a British Admiral. Ali came on board my ship when we were at port in New York because we had an outbreak. I guess you could classify it as love at first flippant remark." Ali just giggled and kissed his cheek.

"I'm really not that interesting. I studied to hard and finished five years early. I work for my dad, which can be both a blessing and a curse at times. I have two specializations, also like my dad. Where he specializes in trauma surgery and pediatrics, I specialized in trauma surgery and infectious disease. I guess you could say that Nico is my polar opposite. When I boarded his ship he had a scowl imbedded on his beautiful face and I made a comment along the lines of, 'if you keep your face like that it will be permanent and we wouldn't want that because it would be a disservice to all womankind.' His whole expression changed and love filled his eyes and here we are." I didn't know Ali and Nicholas very well, but their story was amazing!

"I emigrated from Italy at sixteen and went straight into medical school. I grew up with private tutors so I was ahead. My house was not a happy one, but my world changed when I met Esme! She supported me through my residency. Gave me the two most wonderful children, even if Ali was a surprise, and allowed me to form the family I never had with Alice and Emmett. I like working with Ali, though, I think some of the nurses get frustrated with us and our playful manor. How about you Bella?"

"I was born in Forks, Washington…"

"You were born in Forks?" Alice yelled from next to me

"Is Charlie still police chief?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah… you know my dad?"

"Bella, we lived in forks for a while, of course we know your dad!" I didn't believe it! That was awesome!

"Okay, well my mom left my dad and she and I moved to Phoenix. I came out here for school! I love it, and I am happy to have found a loving a supportive family in all of you!"

"Well enough with small talk and pouring our hearts out, I think it is time we went and visited Gianna!" Carlisle stood going into dad-mode.

"We have to get going, but I am glad we could all do this," Alice said as Jasper took a still sleeping Camille from her grandfather. We said our goodbyes and walked out of the park. Edward and I climbed into his Volvo and everyone else climbed into a black Mercedes that was parked not too far away. Who's this Gianna person?


	4. midnight escapades

Chapter Three

We drove up to this little hole in the wall. I had always wanted to eat here. I heard they served the best Italian food on the East Coast.

"Carlisle, Esme, and twins! It has been too long. Why don't you come see me more often?" I turned to see a small woman with long black hair and impeccable features.

"Auntie Gianna it is good to see you too! This is the first time I have been in the city since I saw you eight months ago. Dad and I are busy, though, I don't know why Edward doesn't come in more often. He lives in the city." Ali said as she hugged the woman. The woman, Gianna, turned to Edward with a sad yet disappointed face and smacked him with her dish towel. Ali turned to Edward with a mischievous look and Carlisle burst into hysterics. When he composed himself, Carlisle turned to her and said something in rapid Italian. She turned to me with a big smile. I gulped.

"You marry my Edward! Welcome to the family Isabella! I am Auntie Gianna to the twins. I grew up with Carlisle, though, I am not that old!" She hugged me and escorted us to a table in the back. A couple of waiters came to the table and spoke with Edward, Ali and Carlisle in Italian. Every once in a while Nicholas would comment, but for the most part he stayed out of the conversations. I stayed quiet because I had no clue what was going on.

"I hate it when they do this," Esme whispered from next to me.

"Why? Don't you speak it?"

"No!" She laughed. "I never caught on. You'd think I would have having an Italian husband and two fluent children, but I never grasped it. I used to get so frustrated when the three of them would carry on conversations because they could go on for hours. Alessandra has an affinity for the language and in some situations it is easier for her to revert to Italian. When she was little and she got frustrated or scared she would scream in Italian and I would feel helpless because I had no idea what was wrong. There were times I had to call Carlisle home from work because she wouldn't calm down. Once she fell out of the tree house and Edward wasn't home to translate for me. It was bad, but Carlisle graciously bowed out of surgery, drove home, picked her up and whispered something to her. Her tears stopped and she started laughing. It was bizarre how jealous I felt of my husband, but those two are two peas in a pod."

"I took Italian in collage, but I still can't understand them. Now that is sad!"

"Well it helps that I speak Italian or else I wouldn't understand her half the time!" Nicholas piped in from Esme's other side.

"What do you do again, Nicholas, if you don't mind me asking?" I was curious and I wasn't really paying attention when he told me at Central Park.

"I am a British Captain on assignment in the United States as the British Naval Ambassador. It comes with being a peer of the realm and militarily successful."

"Peer of the realm? Like a lord?"

"Yes, my father is an earl and I am his heir, though I don't use my title very often." He smiled. He was quiet, but I could tell his men respected him and that he had a caring and loving heart.

"So, Nicholas, why haven't you married her yet?" He blushed and Esme snorted at my question.

"Yeah, Nico, why haven't you married me yet?" Ali asked. I hadn't heard their conversations end, but now everyone, including Gianna, was staring at a very uncomfortable Nicholas. I would have died of embarrassment in a similar situation.

"Umm…well…to be honest…I, umm, I am afraid."

"Of marriage?"

"No, no, not at all, I'm afraid of asking for her hand." He said staring at his plate. There was a long silence and then the table erupted into laughter. Gianna was propping herself up using the wall. Carlisle was trying to keep a straight and stern face but was losing miserably. Esme was shaking between me and a very red Nicholas. Edward and Ali were leaning against each other, tears rolling down their cheeks. I almost fell out of my chair.

"Whhh-aatt?" Ali gasped still laughing and almost on the floor herself.

"Well, no offence, Dr. Cullen, but I am afraid of what you could do to me and Ali, my love, your brothers scare the shit out of me!" That did it. Ali fell to the floor. Esme started snorting. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. Edward had fallen across his and Ali's chairs. Gianna was sitting against the wall with buckets coming from her eyes. Carlisle had lost the battle with hysterics.

It took forever for everyone to find composure. This is what it was like to have the perfect family. We all branched off onto different subjects. Esme and I were talking about holidays. She invited me for Christmas. At that moment I knew there was nothing I would rather do then spend the holidays with my soon-to-be family!

"Bella, do you want to hear a funny story?" Ali was looking at Edward, a mischievous smile plastered onto her beautiful face, Edward looked, well, scared shitless.

"I would love it!"

"Okay, well one Christmas Eve Emmett decided he wanted to prank Edward. So after we went to sleep that night, Emmett stripped Edward down, except for a pair of boots and tied him around a street sign in front of our Chicago house. That was all fine and dandy except for the fact that Edward used to drool. When he woke up from the cold, Edward was completely stuck to the pole. Everything straight down his naked front side was frozen to the metal. I woke up because I heard someone yelling outside around eight. So I grabbed dad and ran out front and there was Edward—stuck in all his glory!" I was laughing so hard I needed to pee. Edward was bright red and had his head buried in his arms on top of the table. Before Ali could continue again, Carlisle piped in with the rest of the story.

"I spent two hours getting him off the pole and cleaning his wounds. I wanted to laugh so hard, but I knew that I couldn't. Emmett, who was still asleep didn't get off scot free. Ali erased all of his scores on his video games, Edward drew on his face with permanent markers, Esme and Alice took his clothes and filled his closet with pink frills, and I videotaped him getting up. He got dressed without paying any attention—it was hideous, walked downstairs and as he passed the mirror in the hall he screamed like a little girl. All of his friends had seen it by the next day!"

I composed myself enough to talk, "you are positively evil, but that is one of the funniest things I have ever heard!"

We left a few hours later. Carlisle and Esme went back to their hotel while Ali and Nicholas joined Edward and me for a night of bonding. I was glad that Ali and Nicholas were not into dance clubs like the other Cullen children. We played games, watched movies, and got into mischief. The most entertaining part of the night was the battle recreation that Nicholas and Edward did while standing on a busy street corner. It wasn't so much the fact that they were fighting, but that they were doing it in slow motion. Ali even joined in and acted as a sports commentator making up a story behind what they were doing. I had never seen Edward so carefree before. I stopped them after a while because it was November and it had started to snow. All I wanted to do was say goodbye to Ali and Nicholas and take my man home for a little fun of our own.

Ali and Nicholas insisted on walking back to the hotel from where we were. I think she knew what I was thinking. We said our goodbyes and jumped into Edward's car. We stumbled into the apartment, both eager for each other. As soon as the door was closed, Edward had me pinned against the wall.

"Did you have a good day?" His mouth was next to my ear and his words sent shivers down my spine.

"Yes, I did! I love your family," I responded. I captured his lips with mine. I ran the tip of my tongue against his bottom lip. He granted me access and our tongues fought for dominance. I squeaked when he dropped me on the bed. He removed my shirt painstakingly slow. His lips covered every inch of skin on my torso. His long fingers expertly removed my blue lace bra and his lips went to work on my breasts. As he sucked a nestled my left nipple, he worked my other with his skilled hands. He switched side to make sure both got equal treatment. All I could do was make soft moaning noises. He kissed me again and stood from the bed taking the rest of my clothing with him. After he removed his clothes, he slowly climbed back up my body. Just watching him do that was enough to almost make me cum. Every touch showed his love for me. He kissed me again. I was scared. I knew it was going to hurt, but I was beyond ready for this.

"Tell me if you want to stop," he whispered into my ear. I nodded and grabbed onto his arms for support. He slowly pushed into me, stopping just before he hit my barrier. "I love you, Isabella," he said against my lips. He pushed all the way into me as he kissed me. He didn't move. It hurt, but the pain was subsiding. I moved my hips a little to tell him that he could proceed. He slowly pulled out of me and pushed back with a little more force. It was an amazing feeling. He sent me over the edge with one more thrust, but kept going. My back arched off the bed and he took one of my nipples into his mouth. That feeling of him moving in and out of me while lapping at my breast was enough to make me orgasm a second time. He kept muttering how much he loved me. As my third orgasm overtook my senses, I heard him grunt and pulse inside of me.

"Edward," I moaned as my back arched off the bed.

"Fuck…" he whispered and with one more thrust I felt him release into me. He fell to my side and pulled me to him as we calmed our breathing.

"That was…" I didn't know how to finish that.

"Yeah," he finished. I had a shit-eating grin on my face as did he. We had finally shared ourselves with one another** (IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME…CONTINUE)**.

"Thank you Edward," I whispered as I neared sleep.

"I love you Isabella," he whispered as he pulled the covers over us and kissed the top of my head.

We said good bye to the family before they left for Baltimore. I couldn't wait to see them again. There were only a few week s left to Christmas and I needed to get my shopping finished before the last moment because we were going to go the Baltimore this year.

It had been a month since I had seen the family. Edward and I had spent Thanksgiving with my mom and her husband Phil in Arizona. We had three days till we flew to Maryland for a month. I was queasy and tired and I craved the strangest foods. As I was packing I found my box of tampons. I was late. I rushed to the corner store and got a few tests. Edward would be home later. They were all positive. I was ecstatic. I made an appointment to see my doctor for the next morning to be sure! This was going to be the best Christmas present for Edward.


	5. ER Games

**Here's the next chapter! I don't own anything (except for a blue moped that goes put-put)! It sucks, yes, but I do get to claim Alessandra, Nicholas, Camille, and the other crazy, non-twilight characters! **

**Please review!  
**

Chapter Four

Edward

Bella and I decided to join my parents and sister in Baltimore for Christmas. We usually did the holidays at our house in Chicago, but both my sister and father were on-call the week before Christmas.

"I am so glad that I don't have to work until after the New Year" my sister huffed as she fell into the oversized sofa in the living room. My father followed with an exhausted "here here." Apparently this week had been hell in the ER. 'Things always get worse this time of year,' my father had told me one night.

They had left forty-eight hours ago, both dreading what they would find and praying for a slow shift. I could tell by looking at them that their prayers were not answered. Ali's scrubs had dried blood down one leg and splattered on her shirt. Her normally immaculate hair was pulled up into a hasty ponytail with her bangs flying everywhere. She had dark circles under her eyes from sleep deprivation and her long sleeved shirt that she always wore under her scrubs was torn and rolled up to her elbows. My father didn't look any better. He had dozed off in his leather recliner. He had dried blood all down his left side and heaven knows what on his right pant leg. He had the same tired eyes as my twin. What the hell happened to them? They looked like they had rolled off the beaches of Normandy or at least out of a horror film.

I would never understand what my sister goes through. As she put it one day, I was only put here to be her confidant and equal just like Emmett was put on the earth to be her personal caddy and comic relief. Now she got to utilize Emmett's comedy more often because he is always bringing patients to her. One of her favorite things about the hospital was working with our dad. Because he is so young, dad still enjoys random childish acts to ease tension. I had taken them dinner, as a surprise, during one of their shifts; dad and Ali were standing at the nurse's station and I could tell they were up to something.

"Edward, watch this! Okay see the gurney in trauma bay one?" I nodded. "Well, dad and I 'pronounced' twenty minutes ago. It was a teaching case so we just sent our student's to go over the case and ready the body for removal to the morgue." Dad handed both of us a cup of coffee and they leaned against the counter waiting for something to happen. A few of the nurses stopped and were also looking into trauma bay one. Their students walked in and pulled back the sheet that was covering the poor soul who had just died. One of the six students started to examine the wound on the man's forehead. They all leaned in to look.

"Five…four…three…two…" Ali and my dad counted. Then…

"Ahhhh!" The man on the gurney sat up and all of the students ran screaming from the room, except for the one who was too scared to move. The guy walked out and my dad handed him a hundred dollar bill with a quick 'thank you.' Ali and my dad were laughing with the nurses. The students slowly started to come to and as they walked up shaking with fear which sent my dad and Ali into even greater bouts of hysterics. Behind us one of the nurses answered a phone.

"In coming MVA. Two drivers and a child. Two critical, the child and one adult." She yelled. The laughing stopped. Dad started barking orders and an obviously well rehearsed dance began.

"Clear Trauma two and open a pediatric crash cart. Call surgery and have them on standby for two possible patients. Have the blood bank send over six units of O-neg per patient and have them waiting to send type specific. Ali, be ready for the second critical in trauma three."

Ali kissed my cheek and apologized and ran to the nurse that was holding a gown out for her. Not even five minutes later the doors crashed open and a gurney holding a very bloody child was pushed in. Dad ran forward and listened intently as he led the medics into trauma bay two and went to work. The doors opened again to reveal my brother pushing in what appeared to be a woman. Ali ran forward to meet them. She listened to my brother as they ran to trauma bay three. The last patient was brought in with only a few scratches. One of the medics pushed him into a chair and told him to wait. There were residents scattered around, but I was under the impression that attendings ran that sort of thing, though I really didn't know. Emmett clapped me on the back and said he'd see my cute ass later and that he needed to keep the streets safe. My eyes flickered between the room my father was working in over a screaming child and my sister. She was having a very hard time keeping the woman alive. For an hour Ali worked. I knew she had given up when she climbed off the gurney after pumping on the woman's chest and looked up at the clock. That didn't stop her though. She changed gloves and ran into the room where my dad was elbow deep in the child's stomach. I don't know how long I stood there, but the door finally opened and the child was wheeled out. My father and sister emerged stripping off their gowns and gloves. One of the nurses said something to them. They nodded and walked over to the chair the other man was sitting in. My sister wrenched him out of the chair and pushed him on to a gurney in the hall way.

"Bitch that hurt!"

"Can it. Now I have to call a husband, tell him that his wife is dead and that his daughter may not survive surgery and all because you decided to drive drunk," Ali sneered at the guy when he yelled at her for hurting him. She didn't care.

My sister and I had been watching ER one night a few weeks before. She was laughing so I asked her what was so funny about hurt and sick people needing the emergency room. She just turned to me and said, "that's not what is funny. What is funny is the fact that it is so fake in comparison. There is not enough blood and most patients are not that calm!" I had made the mistake of asking her to take me into the ER after that, and I saw what she meant, but the MVA changed my life.

Tomorrow was our annual Christmas dinner. Alice, Jasper and Camille would be here for the morning festivities, but then they were going to do dinner at the orphanage in the inner harbor before they flew to Texas to join Jaspers family for Christmas. Mom was busy getting everything ready for baking tomorrow morning and making sure the house was spotless. Bella had been acting a little standoffish since we got here and was busy helping my mom. I had been sitting at my piano when Ali and dad came home. Nico materialized out of nowhere like a vampire and gently picked my sister up and carried her to their suite. Dad got up when my mom called that dinner was ready. Ali and Nico joined us for a quiet dinner.

**Poor Edward! The resident thing actually happened! It was hilarious! On to the next chapter...**

**Please review!!! Please!  
**


	6. it'll be alright

Chapter Five

Esme

Everything was complete and ready for our annual Christmas dinner. I was glad that Carlisle and Ali had this year off so we would have no interruptions (or so I thought). Alice, Jasper and Camille were on their way to bake cookies and pie. Carlisle and Ali were at the neighbor's house taking care of Mrs. James. She had fallen sometime last night and her great granddaughter had called us when she found her. Edward and Emmett were out with Rose and Bella finding the perfect tree. Everyone came back at basically the same time. The tree was beautiful! Camille looked sick, however. I played it off as just a sleepless night and joined my girls in the kitchen. Everyone was making something different. Camille ghosted between all of us, having the time of her life. I made gingerbread. Alice made sugar cookies. Bella made Sandies **(balls of dough stuffed with pecans and cloves… yummy!)**. Rosalie was making chocolate chip cookies because they were everyone's favorite. Ali was making banana chocolate chip muffins for Christmas morning.

While cleaning up Camille collapsed. Alessandra rushed to her side and called Carlisle. He ran in from where he was helping the boys with the tree.

"Rose would you go get my bag please?" She disappeared in the direction of his office. They had her lying on her back with her feet slightly elevated. Rose came back and Carlisle immediately started to listen to her chest and check her blood pressure. Bella was holding onto Alice and Emmett and Edward were holding Jasper up at the entrance to the kitchen. Camille opened her eyes.

"I feel funny Nonno," she whispered.

"How so Camille?"

"Well everything went black and now I am kind of tingly." Alessandra laughed at her choice of words as did my husband and Emmett. The rest of us looked like the three of them had all grown extra heads.

"I would think so my little butterfly! Your blood pressure dropped. I think playing with your friends yesterday took a lot out of you. Here, sit up." Carlisle picked Camille up and set her on the counter. She was free to play five minutes later, though she chose to watch the men fuss with the tree over helping with dinner. After a few more cookies were made and packaged up, we said goodbye to Alice, Jasper and Camille (who was doing a lot better). Alessandra and Rose had disappeared into another room so Bella and I made dinner.

We laughed as we made my traditional lasagna and garlic bread. Conversation was easy with Bella, and I already thought of her as one of my own. I still had yet to tell anyone of my pregnancy. It was high risk, I knew that, but the right time just hadn't come up yet. I wanted to get through my first trimester before I told anyone. Rose and Alessandra returned both smiling about something and talking in hushed tones.

"Dinner," I called and everyone congregated around my table. Everyone was silent through dinner. Every once in a while a couple would kiss or feed each other. My family was perfect!

"Mom, your dinner was perfect as always!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Thank you Sweetheart! Now that we are finished, Edward Anthony and Alessandra Elizabeth will you please play for us?" My twins stood to ready their instruments.

Carlisle had just returned from the attic carrying the Christmas box, well one of them, and Ali was tuning her violin when their pagers went off.

Alessandra said something about explosions. Everything happened so fast. Within five minutes of their pagers going off, Carlisle and Alessandra were changed into scrubs and out the door. It scared me. Everyone was still as stunned as I was.

"Let's pray that everything is alright and that they will be home soon," I said as I composed myself. Everyone nodded. The boys all cleaned up. Emmett's pager went off and he quickly left the house. I was really concerned now. Bella saved me from my impending panic attack.

"How about we all play a game of Snorta!" It was a kid game that I had bought for Camille, but we all loved it. Basically you play by pulling an animal from a bag. Then you make a sound for that animal, but the funny thing is the sound you give your animal doesn't have to have anything to do with the animal you draw. So after everyone has a sound and the cards are passed out, the animals are hidden and players begin to flip cards. When the card you flip matches the card on top of someone else's deck, you have to say the sound of their animal before they say your sound! **(It's a riot!!! Check it out!!!)** Everyone nodded and Edward brought the game to the dining room table after we all had our sounds the competition began. Edward and Nicolas were quick. In the end it became a battle between them. Bella, Rosalie and I laughed as we ate ice cream in the kitchen.

At midnight we still hadn't heard anything from Alessandra, Carlisle or Emmett. What we got on the news was heartbreaking. At one point the reporter was standing in front of the Emergency Room at Johns Hopkins. We could see Alessandra and Carlisle bent over a child lying on the ground covered in blood. They had given up. We saw Alessandra tear the triage tag on the child's coat to black. It pained me to see death, but more because it was my daughter and husband out there trying to heal everyone. The reporter asked one of the patients a few questions and we all listened intently.

"Sir, what can you tell us about the situation here?"

"I don't really know because I am no doctor, but Dr. Cullen was really nice. She didn't even flinch when some guy handed her his leg! It was disgusting. I'm not that hurt, but she still took the time to check me over." A Leg! I was almost ready to puke. My eyes drifted to the face of my husband.

"Dr. Cullen, are things under control here?" He ran a hand through his beautiful hair.

"Things here are as to be expected in this sort of situation. It is a mad house. We are short staffed and have no more room to put patients, nor the people to care for them. We are doing the best we can right now, though." The reporter thanked him, and Carlisle dashed back to patients.

Days passed and still no word from any of them. Everyone had become distant, not partaking in anything they usually did. Most of the time, I just sat on the couch in Carlisle's study or on the chair in the living room. Bella had tried to read but couldn't concentrate. Edward just stared out the window at the snow. Rosalie paced in the living room. She and Alessandra were extremely close so I could understand why she would be acting so out of the norm. Nicholas sat on his phone, waiting for a call or a text to signal that all was well with the love of his life, his reason to live. I was a little concerned that we hadn't heard from Jasper or Mace, but they were in Texas and the ranch he and Rose grew up on didn't have a television or a computer so maybe they didn't know anything of the attacks.

The house was silent so when Nicholas's phone rang we all jumped through the roof.

"Are you alright?" So Alessandra had called.

"Thank God! What's going on?" His voiced was relieved. "Okay, one moment, love," he set the phone down and called all of us to him. We were all there in seconds, "they are all here." He put the phone on speaker and set it on the coffee table so we could all hear.

"Hey guys!" Alessandra's voice was tired and strained. "We have been swamped. Sorry we haven't been able to call before. I am okay, tired, but okay. Dad is tired but still plowing through patients. Emmett just came back with us to the hospital from the Inner Harbor. The city is in a state of panic. Rose before you ask, yes everything is fine, I could do better but all is well!"

"Thank heavens…I was worried Al!"

"I know, Rose. So I have some news, and I need everyone sitting down." We complied. "Are you all sitting?" Nicholas responded. "Dad and I were called to the Inner Harbor. There was a group of people stuck in the rubble. When we got there, the rescue teams had broken through enough so we could climb in. Mace and Jasper were in the main room, both alive, but Mace has a few broken bones and a concussion. One of the children pointed me in the direction of Camille. She is very broken and has a brain bleed. I honestly don't know how she survived this long. She is in the scanner now." Everyone was in tears. I didn't know if I had the words to express the pain and anguish I was feeling. "I have to go, but I will try to touch base soon! I love you all!" We muttered goodbyes and 'I love yous.' All we could do was return to what we were doing before she called, wallowing.


	7. managing hell

Chapter Six

Carlisle

Beep…Beep…Beep

Seriously? Ali and I had both just come off of a grueling 48 hour shift. One of those shifts you cannot talk about without reliving the whole thing. We had seen beatings, car accidents, failed suicide attempts, three miscarriages, and countless shootings. When Ali finally made Attending, she rose quickly to the top of the respect ladder. People loved her and she and I were often referred to as inhuman, healing gods. Why the hell were they calling us back now, though? Why couldn't we just relax and finish celebrating Christmas as a family?

"Dad!"

"I Know… Do you know what happened?"

"There have been six explosions! Camden Yard, Shock Trauma, the Inner Harbor, BWI, GBMC, and the Lyric… We are getting all of the critical…"

"Sorry" I said as I kissed my wife goodbye. We were being called to manage hell! Merry Christmas! I knew it would be a few days, at least, before we could come home! Oh well…

Alessandra Elizabeth

The car ride to the hospital was slow until we got a police escort. The city was in chaos! As we sped through streets covered in debris and crawling with injured, I found myself making comparisons with the refugee camp in Cambodia I had worked in for three months last year. As an infectious disease specialist and trauma surgeon, my skills had proved extremely valuable. I had originally gone to Cambodia to combat an outbreak of bacterial pneumonia, but I ended up treating more casualties of war than pneumonia patients!

The hospital was a mess. Where the hell were the doctors? Come to find out Dad, Garrett, and Kate were it, well plus a few handfuls of residents, but we would be doing the majority of the real work.

The reason for that was because of the twelve attending emergency physicians and trauma surgeons, four were out of state and three had been brought in as patients and the other two were in South America and we couldn't borrow from other departments because everyone was swamped and the operating rooms were being manned for the cases we would be sending them. Great! We had somewhere around a thousand injured in the ER and god knows how many more were coming in, and we were the only trauma center!!!

The residents could handle the minor things and help things move swiftly. My dread, however, did not come from working with the residents. I was afraid of the triage! There were injured people everywhere who all needed to be triaged immediately so that we could get to work quickly! Somehow I knew that the task of triage would fall upon my father and me because of our field experience.

I grabbed the triage kit and a trauma bag and made my way outside to all of the patients waiting to get into the facility. Dad joined me claiming his job right now as chief was not hidden away inside, but trying to conduct the flow of patients out here with me.

The body count was on the rise. I had only been outside for half an hour when I pronounced my sixth patient most of them dying from blood loss. What sort of person would do this? I reached a man who was sitting very patiently in the corner with a blanket on his lap.

"I'm Doctor Cullen," I introduced as I kneeled down next to him.

"Oh, Doctor! Here…" He lifted the blanket and handed me his leg. HIS LEG!!! I called over one of the orderlies and asked him to find two guys to carry the man in. He returned with a few men who picked up the patient and walked inside. I called the orderly back.

"Yes Doctor Cullen?"

"This belongs to the man they just carried inside…" I handed him the leg and he scampered off after the other men while turning a little green.

Numerous bodies piled up that never got to see a physician, thousands of broken bones, even more bodies pronounced after a doctor tried everything they could. I couldn't feel my feet, my eyes were blurry, I hadn't eaten since dinner yesterday (and considering that I am supposed to be eating for more than me…not eating is bad). We had an approximately twenty minute reprieve before another wave of wounded was brought in on buses. I was sitting on the curb outside to escape the nauseating smell of death. It was cold, but I picked the lesser of two evils.

When I felt a hand on my back I didn't bother to jump. I knew the touch. It was familiar. It was something I had known since birth.

"Hey dad," I said with as much of a voice as I could muster.

"How are you doing?" He sat down next to me and put a blanket over my shoulders. I thought about it. He would figure me out because he knew me too well.

"I'm tired, queasy, sore, hungry, and my eyes were starting to blur, but other than that I'm fantastic!"

"Same here, well minus the queasy, but what are you doing in the snow?" It had in fact started to snow harder since we sent the last patient in for treatment.

"I needed to get away from the smell…"

"Ahhh…I'll be right back!" He got up and disappeared into the building again. Ten minutes later I looked up from the ground as my dad plopped down next to me with sandwiches and juice. Thank heavens!

"Thanks," I said as I took the one he offered me. We ate in silence. It was one of the best sandwiches I had ever had. Just as I placed the last bite between my lips the buses pulled in.

"Here we go again," I muttered as I stood. "Care to join me, good sir?" I asked my dad. He just laughed and took my proffered hand.

"Anything for a lady. Doctor Carlisle Cullen at your service, ma'am!" He bowed and waved his arms with all the pomp and circumstance that he could muster.

"You are such a dork sometimes…" He stood and laughed with me as we made our way to the buses so we could start the triage routine all over again. I just hoped nobody handed me any more body parts.


	8. Survivors

Chapter 7

We had been treating for seventy some odd hours. Merry Christmas. Thank god there was no more injured coming through the doors. I knew they were still finding people in the rubble, but the flow of new admits was down, finally! I felt like a butcher, a classic sawbones. There had been amputations, screaming and death for days. A few hours ago we ran out of pain medication and were flying more in from surrounding states. The hospital, one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, was reminiscent of a third world clinic and not the state-of-the-art facility that it was.

"Coffee?"

"Thanks Dad" I said taking the cup from his hands.

"How are you doing sweetheart?" He said sitting on the floor next to me. I had found a quiet corner amongst the incessant noise.

"I am exhausted, I feel like a butcher, and I could almost pass as a patient because of all of the blood on my scrubs!"

"Me too…" He said drily.

"Dr. Cullen" we both looked up at Angela, one of the nurses, "they are calling for the two of you in the Inner Harbor. Apparently, they have found more victims, but they can't get them out yet and they need you"

"Thanks Angela. Is there a bus waiting?" She nodded her head and walked away. Dad and I got up and headed to the bay…

"Over here Doc" my paramedic bear of a brother yelled as we got out of the ambulance.

"There are fifteen people trapped. The kid that has been talking with us says that there are a lot of wounds and the two adults are both out of it." He led us over to a demolished building. "In there." We climbed through the hole and debris until we came face to face with a group of children. The boy, who appeared about twelve, walked up to us.

"I'm Sam… This used to be our orphanage. We are all that's left"

"I am Doctor Cullen, but please call me Ali, and this is also Doctor Cullen."

"Well, we are okay" he said waving at the children, "but the lady and the man over there are really hurt." I picked up my bag and followed Sam to the two adults in the corner while dad started to check on the children. I knelt down and looked into the eyes of my little sister, Alice.

"Mace…Mace talk to me" She just looked at me. Shit. I turned to Jazz. He was out cold but still alive, thankfully. WAIT!!!

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Did they come here with a little girl?"

"Yeah, but I haven't seen her since the blast" one of the other kids walked over and tapped my shoulder.

"She was in the bathroom… it was that way" she pointed through the debris.

"Sam keep pressure on her wound, I'll be back" I said as I grabbed my bag and ran off in the direction I was pointed. I could hear my dad yelling after me, but I was more concerned in finding my niece and hopefully alive. When I reached where the bathroom had been I could see her shoes coming from under a piece of the ceiling. Stay Strong!

"Cami?" I said as I lifted the debris away from her body.

"Aunt Ali, it hurts and I am scared" she cried. I could visibly see broken bones, but what got me to cry were not her tears but the sight of blood coming from her ear indicating a brain bleed. I had to get her back to the ER now. I got her patched the best I could.

"Cami, I have to pick you up and carry you. It is going to hurt and I am sorry about that, but I need you to stay awake, okay?" She slowly nodded, but she was fading fast. How had she lasted four days? I carefully held her broken body to me and climbed back through the debris.

The rescue team had broken through the debris, dad was still tending to the kids, and there were medics surrounding Alice. Jazz was sitting against a wall watching in horror as they worked on his wife.

"Ali, could you give me a hand here?"

"No dad, I have to get back the hospital…" He turned and looked at me. His eyes grew wide. He stood up and quickly crossed the space.

"Cami…" I nodded over to where Alice was.

"Mace!" dad yelled. He was no longer a doctor but a father. Jasper stood up when he saw me with his baby girl. They had experienced so much in the past six years. They had almost lost Camille once from cancer, plus they were both so young. Mom and Dad adopted Alice and Emmett when I was six. She got pregnant at sixteen, but that never slowed her down. Camille was Jasper's baby girl. The two were inseparable. She is just like him.

"Cami" he yelled running at me. "Cam…"

"Come on Jazz… I need to get her to the ER now"

"Emmett!" I yelled as we ran to the closest bus. I carefully handed Camille over to her father. They needed each other and I needed my hands. My phone buzzed. _Mace is fine. She will make it. Dad. _

"Dad says Alice will be fine." I whispered to Jazz. He barely acknowledged me. He was whispering comforting words to his little girl. Emmett climbed into the back of the bus with us and the ambulance pulled away.

My father had dealt with sick kids and broken bones all his life. Every little cut or bump we had as kids meant time with dad and his black bag. I once asked him if he was related to Mary Poppins because he always had exactly what he needed when we needed him.

When Camille was first diagnosed with Leukemia my father pulled Jasper aside and told him about my accident and the helplessness he felt when I came into the ER. When Edward and I were five, our father took a position as chief of the ER in Forks, Washington. Our mom was in the kitchen making dinner and Edward and I were playing with a couple of the neighborhood kids. I didn't like Jessica and Lauren because they were being really mean to me and they only wanted to play with Edward, but Edward wanted to play with me. I was sitting on the curb and Edward was running toward me. I stood up and something hit me. It hurt really badly. I was pinned between the car tire and our tree. Then the car was gone and I fell to the ground.

My mother ran to my side with the phone tucked on her shoulder. I wanted daddy. Edward was talking to me when the paramedics got there. I barely remember the Ambulance ride or being in the hospital, but the one thing I will never forget was the look on my father's face when he looked down at me as I was pushed through the door. His normally composed face that always held a smile was contorted into a face full of panic, pain and fear and my normally smiling father shed a tear.

The Accident from Carlisle's POV

It was a slow shift, but I only had an hour to go and then I could go home to my family. I had promised Edward and Ali that we would play baseball tonight after dinner and spending time with my twins always made my day better. I was the only doctor in the small hospital that evening so I was upstairs checking on Mr. Banner when one of the nurses came in to tell me that a vehicle verses pedestrian was coming in and it needed my immediate attention. I quickly finished up with Mr. Banner and made my way downstairs to treat what would most likely be a teenager who wasn't paying attention and ran out into the street. I met the medics at the door to see a small child lying on the gurney. I was taking mental notes about the child's injuries and figuring out the best course of treatment. The child was lucky to be alive. Most adults I had seen with similar injuries didn't survive. I knew this would be hard on the parents, but I would do the best I could to save the small life in front of me. When the medic finished I leaned down to ask the child their name, but I came face to face with my worst nightmare. My little Alessandra was staring back up at me.

"It hurts daddy!"

Back to Alessandra

I spent almost six months in casts and physical therapy. After a month in the small hospital, I was sent home. I got to sleep in my own bed and see my mom and eat with my family. Edward, who had run away to me when I was still in the hospital, never left my side. He even slept at the foot of my bed to make sure nothing happened to me and to get me anything I needed. There were times that my bed was entirely packed because Edward would be at my feet, my dad would have me in his arms, and the dogs would take the remainder of the room. My father was with me every step of the way. There are times when I feel as though my father still blames himself for the stupidity of one drunk driver. Emmett was looking at me with an odd expression.

"I was thinking about my accident and dad having to treat my near fatal injuries." I whispered to him so Jasper couldn't hear me.

"The one that caused you to limp as a child?" I nodded. "I think dad still blames himself for that even though we all know he had no control over it." I smiled at Em. He was a big child with the attention span of a goldfish, but sometimes he showed wisdom to rival the rest of the family. Just after mom and dad adopted Mace and Em, we all went to school. Mace was the same age as Edward and me and was starting first grade, but Edward and I were in Em's sixth grade class because we were 'genius.' I was still recovering from my injuries so walking was a chore. Most of my teachers would let me leave early to get a head start to my next class or would excuse me if I were late. I was having a particularly hard day and thus was slower than normal and our new science teacher (it was his first day and mid-year) sent me to detention for being late. Em stood up for me both as my lab partner and my brother and wound up in detention himself. I was a mess in detention. I was worried about my record and what mom and dad would say when they found out. Em tried to console me, but that got him into even more trouble with the science teacher. I guess Mace had gotten her hands on a phone and called my dad because he stormed into the science lab and rushed to my side to check on me. I assured him I was fine and started to tell him what happened when the teacher came over and told him he had to leave. No one tells my father what to do. Dad had Emmett take me outside and spent almost an hour in a heated argument about the teacher's decisions. I never had any more problems with him, but mom and dad pulled us after the completion of the year and finished our education as they always had, at home, mom in control of the arts and English and dad spending hours teaching us math and science even taking us to the hospital lab for experiments when we did chemistry!

Once we got to the ER everything was a blur. Dad had text Garrett so he had been waiting for us. Dad was on his way back with Alice. She had a broken arm and a few nasty cuts but other than that she was fine. More doctors had come in and all of the patients that had been cleared to leave were gone leaving us with only the critical. We had sent Camille to the MRI with instructions to page both Cullens if something went wrong. I was filling out charts and emergency forms at the main Nurse's station. I had just called the house and told everyone they were here, but mostly I called because I needed to hear Nico's voice and assure Rosalie (who had text almost a hundred times) that all was well.

"Hey, how's Cami?" My dad asked walking up next to me carrying a chart.

"We finally got her to calm down! I sent her for an MRI and Jazz to see Mace." We finished up what we were doing and went into my sister's room.

"Hey Mace" I whispered as I sat on the edge of her bed.

"Hey, how's Cami? Is she okay?" Alice stared at me with panicked eyes.

"I won't lie to you… She is very hurt. She has broken bones, a collapsed lung that I had to re-inflate, some internal bleeding that I had to go in and fix, possibly some hearing loss, and her body is covered in bruises and cuts from debris. I sent her for an MRI so I could get a better look at her brain, hopefully there will be no lasting damage."

"What if there is?" She whispered through her sobs.

"Then we fix what we can and pray for the best possible outcome." Dad said from the door.

Beep…beep…beep

I looked down at my pager at the same time dad did. _Code Blue. Radiology._

"Fuck… "


	9. Deja Vu

Chapter 8

Beep…beep…beep

I looked down at my pager at the same time dad did. _Code Blue. Radiology._

"Fuck…" I whispered under my breath. "Dad!" He understood and without an explanation to my sister or best friend I ran from the room with my father close behind me as we ran toward Radiology. Please still be alive.

Camille

My head hurt. Auntie Ali said that the big machine would be scary but it wouldn't hurt. She said she was going to find Nonno and my daddy. But my head hurt. I could hear the nurses shouting at me, but I couldn't say anything. I felt like that butterfly Nonno is always singing to me about. Where is Nonno? I want him! Everything started to get really fuzzy, but I saw Nonno and Auntie Ali standing over me. They were both really scared. I tried to tell them that my head really hurt, but they couldn't hear me. Why couldn't they hear me?! Auntie Ali was shouting at me, but I couldn't hear her. Everything was gone.

I woke up and saw Nonno standing in the corner of the small room. Auntie Ali was standing next to me with a lot of blood on her hands.

"Nonno!" I whispered. He turned to me with a really sad face. "My head hurts, Nonno, really bad." I started to cry. He quickly came to my side and kissed my forehead.

"I know your head hurts, inamorata. You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, Nonno!" I cried.

"Shh! Shh! It's okay! You have to go to surgery so we can fix your head. Would you like me to sing to you while you wait?" I always like it when Nonno sings to me.

"Can you sing about the Butterfly?" He smiled at me and started to sing.

"Bella e Bianca, vola vola, mai si stanca, gira qua, e gira la, poi si resta sopra, un fiore, e poi si resta spora un fior, Ecco ecco, a trovata, bianca e rosa, colorata, gira qua, e gira la, poi si resta sopra un fiore, e poi si resta spora un fiore…"

Carlisle

I looked down to my pager as it went off. I heard Ali cuss. _Fuck._

"Dad…" I understood and without a word to Mace or Jasper I followed Ali out of the room and across the hospital to Radiology. Running across the hospital was oddly familiar, considering both Ali and I had already been in this situation once before.

Ali and I were working the night shift. She had just started her residency and was working as much as I was. Though, I think that was due more to the fact that she enjoyed goofing off more with me than doing housework with her mother. We got a call for an incoming child who was having issues breathing and was running a fever. Ali and I prepared for the arrival, cracking jokes and laughing hysterically. Since her accident all thoughs years ago I made it a habit of looking at the face of all my patients as they come in with the paramedics. The medics came in with little Camille sitting on the gurney. Our joking stopped and we both went to work.

"Non…Nonno, I…" My sweet grandbaby tried to speak, but because she couldn't breathe it was hard for her already weak body. The fact that she had a fever scared me because her body wouldn't be able to fight an infection off. Ali got her on a nebulizer as I listened to her lungs. As she inhaled the smoke, Ali distracted her with horse talk as I gave her an IV because she was dehydrated. As part of Ali's healing process as a child, I had got her into riding. She loved it and was completely devoted to her horses. They were her therapy. When Camille had been released from the hospital after her diagnoses, Ali had introduced Camille to horses. Camille loved them almost as much as her aunt and godmother. For a while Camille, Alice and Jasper lived with Ali (and Nicholas when he was here) in the Baltimore house because that is where the horses were. Jasper, being from Texas, worked with his daughter which helped form their own special bond. The horses kept the family grounded.

We sent her to the pediatric unit with instructions to page us if something went wrong. A few moments after she left a girl came in looking for her. Ali recognized her as the girl that lived down the street from Camille and her parents, though they had never met.

"Calm down, I don't want to have to sedate you," I told her.

"I'm sorry. It's just her parents aren't in town. I'm babysitting. I freaked when she couldn't breathe! It was scary! I did the only thing I could think of, I called 911! Is she okay? Mrs. Whitlock said I was supposed to call her father or sister if something happened, but I left their numbers at the house. The medics wouldn't let me go with her so I had to drive." The girl was crying by then. She was probably only sixteen. I would have been scared if I was in her shoes.

"It's okay! You did the right thing. Camille is fine and trust me, if you had called me or her aunt we would have told you to bring her in. Don't cry…"

"Wait… you're her grandfather?"

"Yes and that's her aunt," I said pointing at Ali who was charting at the nurse's station. "I'll call my daughter." That is when my pager went off. _Code Blue, Pediatric ICU._ I remember looking toward Ali and seeing her look down at her pager than taking off in the direction of the stairs. We ran full speed to the ICU praying she would be okay. I did not want have to tell my daughter that her baby was dead.

Ali made it through the door to the Scanner before I did. The nurses were standing around the gurney with the crash cart open. Ali and I made our way to the lifeless body of my grandbaby. It took us thirty minutes to bring her back. Ali even had to go in and fix a new bleeder in her stomach that had contributed to her crashing, but the most likely culprit was the growing pressure in her head.

I was reviewing her scan results when I heard her meek voice call for me. I rushed to her side.

"My head hurts, Nonno, really bad…" She started to cry, which wasn't helping the pain she was in.

"I know your head hurts, inamorata. You scared me!" I lightly chastised.

"I'm sorry, Nonno." She cried harder.

"Shh! Shh! It's okay! You have to go to surgery so we can fix your head. Would you like me to sing to you while you wait?"

"Can you sing about the butterfly?" Her tears slowed. I moved her and laid down on the gurney next to her and began the song my mother used to sing to me as a child in Italy.


	10. unmeasured hatred

Chapter 9

Aro

Maybe the explosions would get their attention. The anger I felt about being abandoned by my own son and grandchildren helped fuel my need for revenge. I needed to know if it worked. As I walked through the hospital hoping to see my granddaughter before my son, I noticed that the place had an eerie similarity to a third world hospital. It made me happy. I had always found joy in the pain and suffering of others. My brother, Caius, shared my need for split blood. Marcus, the youngest, however, sought a more peaceful approach. I could laugh at him sometimes!

I saw her emerge from a door at the end of the hall pulling off blood covered gloves and moving the hair out of her face, but more importantly she was alone. She looked like hell, and that was putting it as nicely as I could. Her scrubs were stained in blood and other fluids; her hair was pulled up haphazardly into a … ponytail I think you call it… and she was hunched over from fatigue. Maybe this would be easier than I thought.

Alessandra Elizabeth

She was alive but barely. Dad was currently singing to her to keep her calm while they prepped her for surgery to relieve the growing pressure on her brain.

"Alessandra Elizabeth, inamorato!" What the hell is he doing here?

"Aro, what are you doing here? I thought you never left the castle!" _Why aren't you dead yet?_

"Well, mia bella, I am angry and disappointed with your father. I was hoping my little stunt would get your attenzione?" Excuse me? He did this? I felt sick!

"Avete fatto questo? Come potreste? Your activities cost thousands of innocent lives! Your own Great- granddaughter is barely hanging on to her already fragile life! How can you live with yourself?" I yelled in Italian. I was fuming! I knew he was wretched but this crossed the line.

"She is not part of my family! Alessandra, my sweet, this could all have been avoided if your father had not left me in Italia..." He countered in his grimy Italian.

"Security!" He was going to pay for what he did.

"Ora, ora, that's not necessary Alessandra Elizabeth…"

"Dr. Cullen?"

"Chad, please take this man into custody. He is responsible for the attacks"

"Of course Dr. Cullen…Come along" Aro fought against Chad which was futile! Chad was as big if not bigger than Emmett.

"I hope you rot in prison! Oh, and if my niece, your great-granddaughter, dies I will personally see to it that you never see the light of day again. I will make sure you suffer in purgatory because there will never be enough prayers to get you into heaven and hell would never take you!" I told him coldly in Italian so Chad couldn't understand my threat.

"Unhand me you big oaf! You cannot do this to me! Sono Aro del Volturi…" he screamed as Chad dragged him around the corner. _I hope they kill you in prison!_

I knew he was an evil son of a bitch, but that did not make any of this okay. What the hell was he thinking? When we refused to join his little entourage or whatever the hell they were, we knew we would hear from him again, but I didn't think it would be because he blew up half of a city!

I had made it to the nurse's station with Camille's chart. The charge nurse listened intently as I told her what needed to happen. I loved the majority of the nurses here! I would bring them food and such and they would help me with pranks and other crazy requests. For the last two days the nurses had been helping me avoid the Chief. I didn't want to go home, even though it was probably the best thing. I still hadn't told Nico about the baby and I wanted to before he left. At barely three months I was starting to sport a cute baby bump. The only person I told was Rosalie because she and I found out about our pregnancies together. She had come into the ER one day with lunch and a paper bag of pregnancy tests.

"Ali!" Rose squealed as she saw me!

"Hey Sweet Cheeks!" I returned with a big smile on my face. Rose and I had hit it off right away. I loved having her closer now that she and Emmett were living in Baltimore.

"So I think Em and I may have a little one on the way, and I figured…"

"That's great! Of course I'll help you! I am going on lunch so why don't we go lock ourselves in my office?" We disappeared to my office, which was on the third floor next to dad's office, giggling.

"Ali, I'm scared! What if it is negative?"

"Silly, then you keep trying!"

"Would you take the test with me so I don't feel so alone?" Rose only got insecure when something really frightened her. She was a tuff cookie most of the time. The only people who had ever seen her this way were Emmett, me and Jasper because they were twins!

"Sure…" We did the at home tests she had brought and waited. I tried to calm her down and even threatened to sedate her if she didn't. When the tests were ready we both looked at the same time.

"I'm pregnant!" We both yelled in unison.

"What?" Rose looked at me with shock on her face.

"Oh, come on…" I grabbed her hand and ran from the room. I found Catherine, one of the Nurse Practitioners, and had her run the blood tests. When she returned she confirmed both pregnancies! I was happy and Rose, well she was over the moon! Catherine promised not to say anything.

Rose was about a week further along than I was, I took the rest of the day off telling dad that I wasn't feeling well. He had wanted to do a full work up, but I insisted that it was probably nothing, but if I was still feeling that way later then he could do a checkup. Rose and I went straight to the mall! I needed girl time! After six hours at the mall and three ice cream cones, Rose and I went our separate ways.

When I got home Nico's car was the only one in the driveway! I crept inside and hid all of my purchases. I found him in our office sitting at the table reading his officers logs. It was something he had all of his officers do though I don't think it was necessary. He wanted to have the best officers so he had them keep logs of the daily proceedings much like the Royal Navy did in the 18 and 1900's. He hadn't heard me come in so I walked up behind him and ran my fingers though his beautiful, curly black hair.

"Mmm…how was work?" He melted under my touch. I moved my hands to his shoulders then his glorious chest as I moved my lips to his ear.

"It was alright. Nothing major happened today. How was your day?" I wanted to tell him, but I also wanted to enjoy a night with him.

"Long. I had to go get the Calypso ready to sail. Aitken is taking her back to Portsmouth while I finish up here. By the way Aitken and Kenton send their regards." He pulled me into his lap and kissed my cheek. "That was from Southwick. Jackson, Stafford and Rossi also asked me to say hello." I missed all of the men on board the Calypso. I had spent weeks getting to know them during an outbreak. They were all lovely men. I was still in his lap so I snuggled further into his chest and angled my lips to his.

"Tell them I said hello," I whispered against his beautiful lips before I deepened the kiss.

"I'll consider it," he growled as he picked me up and carried me to our room.

My daydream was just starting to get good when a tap on my shoulder pulled me away from the love of my life. I turned to see Catherine, a knowing smirk on her face. Was I being that obvious or did she just know me too well?

"I don't mean to interrupt, but the Chief is coming down the hall. You may want to run now." I smiled and kissed her cheek. With a quick 'thanks,' I grabbed my stuff and ran.

"Dr. Cullen?" Shit. He caught me.


End file.
